JPH0141986B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image carrier and means for acting on the image carrier for forming an image, such as a corona discharger, a developing device, and a cleaning device disposed around the image carrier. The present invention relates to a process kit that is partially or completely integrated and configured to be detachable from a main unit, and an image forming apparatus thereof.

Taking a conventional electronic copying device as an example, when the device is used for a long period of time, it becomes necessary to replace the photoreceptor (image bearing member), replenish the developer, dispose of the toner removed from the photoreceptor surface, clean the charging wire, etc. It was necessary to regularly replace and adjust various consumable parts, and such work was performed by specialized service personnel. In the case of large or medium-sized copying machines, the number of units installed is not so large, so this is not a big problem. However, in the case of small-sized copying machines, especially for personal use, there are many on the market, and there are differences in usage conditions. Because of the large differences, it is expected that maintenance by service personnel as mentioned above will actually be difficult.

Therefore, for small-sized copying machines for personal use, service items such as replacing photoconductor drums that have exceeded the usage limit, replenishing exhausted developer, disposing of toner removed from the photoconductor surface, and toner When replacing the photosensitive drum, the photosensitive drum, developing device, cleaning device, charging device, etc. are configured as an integrated unit to clean charging wires contaminated with the like, and also to clean the developing device. It is conceivable that each of the above-mentioned parts will be replaced at the same time as the drum in accordance with the usage limit of the drum. With the above configuration, the user can solve the above problem by easily replacing process-related units (hereinafter referred to as process kits) that require periodic maintenance and inspection. Further, various process kits having development characteristics and image reproducibility depending on the purpose of copying can be prepared. Therefore, even during the usable period of the process kit, there are many opportunities for maintenance or to replace a loaded process kit with a different process kit than the loaded one.

Incidentally, in the past, the replenishment and replacement of consumable materials was carried out by service personnel, and the usage status of the consumable materials was ascertained by a counter or the like provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus. However, when using multiple process kits while exchanging them as mentioned above,
Kits must be replaced by the user himself, and therefore, if a counter or the like is provided only on the main body of the device, as in the past, it will not be possible to keep track of the usage status of each kit. As a result, sometimes when the device is in use, if the consumables suddenly reach the end of their lifespan, or if the toner etc. are completely consumed, the main device becomes unusable until a new kit is prepared, resulting in a loss of time. .

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to make it possible to accurately grasp the usage status of a process kit to be replaced, and to make it possible to always use the device in the best condition. It is.

The present invention, which achieves the above objects, includes an image carrier, a process kit disposed around the image carrier, integrally supported with means for acting on the image carrier, and detachable from an image forming apparatus. The apparatus is characterized in that it has means for storing the number of times the transfer material passes through the transfer position of the image carrier as the usage amount of the process kit. In the present invention, the display means for displaying the lifespan of the process kit in response to information from the storage means may be provided on the process kit side or may be provided on the image forming apparatus main body side. Further, a means for detecting passage of the transfer material may be provided on the process kit side or may be provided on the image forming apparatus main body side. Examples of devices to which the present invention is applied include copying machines, facsimile machines, and other storage devices.

With the above configuration, it is possible to give the user advance notice of the service life of the process kit in use, and to give the user time to prepare a new process kit. Furthermore, when a manufacturer warrants a process kit, it becomes possible to determine whether the process kit is within the warranty period or not based on the display contents of the life display section of the process kit.

Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be explained using specific examples with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the main parts of a copying apparatus, which is a specific example to which the present invention is applied.

A copying apparatus 1 shown in the figure is based on an electrophotographic system, and a photosensitive drum 2 consisting of a conductive drum and a photoconductive layer is supported at the center of the apparatus so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow. A corona discharger 3, a short focus optical element array 4, a developing device 5, a transfer corona discharger 6, a cleaning device 7, and the like are arranged along the circumference of the photosensitive drum 2. In the illustrated apparatus, a photosensitive drum 2, a corona discharger 3, a developing device 5, and a cleaning device 7 are integrally removably attached to the apparatus main body to form a process kit. 8 is a side plate of the frame that integrally supports and moves these components, and 8a is a guide rail for loading the kit into the main body. Reference numeral 9 denotes a document table that moves back and forth, and 10 denotes a document table illumination lamp. 11
12 is a transfer material conveying roller; 13 is a timing roller; 14 is a guide member that guides the transfer material between the transfer corona discharger and the photosensitive drum; 15 is a guide member that guides the transfer material after the transfer is completed; A moving path to be moved, 16 a fixing device, 17 a discharge roller, 1
8 is a copy tray.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main unit and the process kit, showing the process kit being attached and detached integrally with the photoreceptor drum, and showing a state in which the front cover 19 of the apparatus is opened and the kit is pulled out. It shows. Note that the process kit is depicted without the surrounding cover.

The copy image forming operation of the above-mentioned apparatus is as follows. The photoreceptor drum 2 is charged to a predetermined polarity by the corona discharger 3, and then reflected light from an irradiation lamp is irradiated onto the document on the document table 9 via the short focus optical element array, and the surface of the photoreceptor drum is irradiated with reflected light. An electrostatic latent image is formed. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device 5, and the developed image is transferred to a transfer material by a transfer corona discharge device 6. The transfer material after the transfer passes through the fixing device 16 and is discharged to the copy tray 18. On the other hand, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 2 after the transfer is cleaned of residual toner by a cleaning device, and is prepared for the next process.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the process kit of the present invention.

A photosensitive drum 2 is disposed inside the process kit cover 28, and this drum 2 is connected to the main body side by a drive transmission means 2b during loading.
Around the image forming means (not shown) similar to that shown in FIG. 1 is provided. This kit cover 28 has a counting circuit 35 which is a measuring mechanism and a power source 36.
This power supply 36 has a terminal 37 protruding from the insulating kit cover 28, which is inserted into the switch plug 38 on the main body side when the kit is set in the main body, and the terminal 37 is electrically connected to the micro switch 39a. The circuit including circuit 35 is closed. This microswitch 39a detects when the transfer material P passes through the process kit section. Based on this detection result, the number of times the transfer material passes is counted by the counting circuit 3.
It is accumulated by 5.

Since the counting circuit 35 is always energized by the power supply 36 regardless of whether the kit is loaded into the main unit, the past integrated amount is stored and will not be erased. Therefore, when the integrated number exceeds a certain value, the LED element 40 in the circuit lights up or blinks to indicate that the life of the kit is short. The LED element 40 is inserted into the cover 2 through the opening of the kit cover 28.
8 can be observed from the outside, and furthermore, the user can directly observe it through an opening 19a (FIG. 2) provided in the front cover 19. In addition, the LED
The elements may be used by using two elements of different colors, or by lighting and blinking to distinguish between those nearing their durability limit and those at the end of their lifespan.

In this manner, by measuring the number of times the transfer material passes through the kit portion, the usage amount of the kit can be measured and the life span of the kit can be determined. Of course,
The above switch members are not limited to micro switches.
It is also possible to use a photocoupler element or an ultrasonic detection element that has a light emitting part and a light receiving part.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the process kit when the micro switch 39a is attached to the process kit, showing that the detection lever 39b of the switch 39a extends in the direction of the transfer material path. Note that the arrangement position may be either upstream or downstream of the transfer position of the drum 2. Furthermore, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, a switch member 39c for detecting the passage of the transfer material is generally provided on the apparatus side, and when the process kit is loaded, the switch member 39c and the count circuit 3
5 and the plug 38a on the main side and the terminal 3 on the kit side.
They may be connected by 7a. Alternatively, the detection means on the main body side may detect that the transfer material has passed, and furthermore, this detection may be converted into a signal and sent directly to the counting circuit 35.

In the above example, the passage of the transfer material is detected electrically, but it can also be detected mechanically. An example of this will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a system for detecting the passage of a transfer material using a ratchet mechanism. The ratchet wheel 21 of this ratchet mechanism is driven by an arm 23a that swings as the transfer material P moves as shown in the figure. This arm 23a rotates around a shaft 23b, and a claw 2 provided on a part of the arm 23a rotates around a shaft 23b.
3c, the ratchet wheel 21 is rotated one pawl each time the transfer material P passes. The direction and amount of rotation of the ratchet wheel 21, which has moved by one claw, is controlled by the leaf spring 22.
21a is a pin protruding from this ratchet wheel 21;
One rotation of the ratchet wheel 21 causes another ratchet wheel 24 to move by one pawl. The ratchet wheel 24 also has a leaf spring 25 similar to the ratchet wheel 21.
The direction and amount of rotation are regulated by this. A disk 26 serving as a life display section is fixed to the ratchet wheel 24 rotating in the direction of the arrow, and a radial color band 27 is provided in accordance with the durability life of the photosensitive drum 2.
This color band 27 should be colored red with paint at a position corresponding to the durability limit of the kit, and then colored yellow before reaching this red color.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the process kit shown in FIG. 5 is attached to the main unit. The side plate cover 28 of the process kit has an opening 29 through which the user can directly observe and confirm the colored band 27 on the disc on the ratchet wheel 24 shown in FIG. That is, opening 2
9 is an opening 19a provided in the front cover 19 of the main device.
Corresponding to the position shown in FIG. 2, the user can visually check the usage status of the process kit from outside the main unit at any time.

By the way, according to the above-mentioned ratchet mechanism, an arbitrary number of times can be displayed as the usage limit by setting the number of teeth of the ratchet wheel. In addition to the above-mentioned color band display and lamp display, the display format also uses the force generated by the movement of the transfer material as it passes through the kit to drive the switch section of a counter attached to the kit, and digitally displays numerical values. It may be displayed.

In the above embodiment, an electrical or mechanical counting mechanism and a display mechanism were provided on the process kit side, but only the counting mechanism was attached to the process kit, and the display mechanism was provided on the device main body. It is also possible to use it in common for all kits in which only the mechanism is replaced.

An example in FIG. 7 is an example in which a life display section 41 is provided on the main body side, and a count circuit, which is a life measuring mechanism for actually measuring the life as shown in FIG. 3, is provided on the process kit side. Therefore, an electrical connector 44 is provided between the count circuit 42 and the display drive circuit 43 on the main body side, and is used when installing the kit in the main unit or closing the front cover.
It is sufficient to perform the electrical coupling described in step 3. With the above configuration, the display section on the main unit side has the effect that it can be used in common with the kits to be replaced. The display part of the figure is
The measurement value integrated by the counting circuit is displayed every 200, for example, and in the figure, the next block 45 is
If it lights up, the user will know that the life of the process kit in use is short.

FIG. 8 shows another example in which the display section is provided on the main body side. The mechanical counting mechanism inside the process kit is similar to the mechanism explained in FIG. 5 (the transfer material detection means is omitted).
A shaft 30 for outputting the count amount extends toward the front cover 19 of the main device that houses the process kit. On the other hand, a shaft 31 protruding from the cover 19 is rotatably mounted with a disk 26 that can be observed through the opening 32 of the front cover 19. The engagement shaft 33 of the life display disc 26 is adapted to engage with the pin 34 of the shaft 30. Therefore, by roughly inserting the process kit and closing the front cover 19 in the direction of arrow A, the shaft 3 on the process kit side can be opened.
The disc 26 is rotated until the pin 34 on the pin 34 and the recessed part of the engagement shaft 33 match, and the disc 26 indicates the number of times the kit has been used. When the kit is replaced, the disc 26 rotates in alignment with another kit pin, and in the same way, this disc 26 is rotated according to the number of times the loaded kit is used, and the amount of usage of the loaded kit is calculated by the disc. indicate.

In the case shown in Fig. 8, only the display section is provided on the main body side, and even if the kit is discarded, this display section can be used repeatedly, so compared to the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 above. This can reduce costs on the kit side.

As described above, the advantage of detecting the passage of the transfer material as the usage amount of the kit is that when the transfer material passes through the process kit, the consumable materials such as the photoreceptor and toner in the kit are always consumed. Matching points are scored. For example, if the photoreceptor drum is rotated idly due to cleaning or other synchronization, regardless of image formation, the method of measuring the rotational speed of the photoreceptor drum would result in the measurement assuming that a process kit was used. . However, a method based on the passage of transfer material eliminates such problems.
Further, during the front rotation and the back rotation to keep the potential on the surface of the photoreceptor drum constant, corona or light may be irradiated to an extent that does not deteriorate the photoreceptor compared to when actually forming an image. In such a case, the method of measuring the rotational speed of the photoreceptor drum is undesirable because the front rotation and back rotation are measured as if the photoreceptor drum or toner were used during original image formation.
However, since the pre-scheduled forward rotation and post-rotation are always performed during image formation, there is an idea that it would be better to plan for these and set a rotation speed that will extend the life of the photoreceptor drum. However, when a plurality of copies of the same original are made in succession, the number of forward rotations or backward rotations does not match the number of rotations of the photosensitive drum during image formation. For the above reasons, it is advantageous to set the amount of passing transfer material to the amount used in the process kit.

As explained above, according to the present invention, by providing the process kit with a mechanism that stores the number of times the transfer material passes as the usage amount of the process kit, each process is The user can know the usage status of the kit, and can give the user time to prepare a new process kit. Furthermore, if a manufacturer sets a warranty period for the number of image formations on a process kit, both the user and the manufacturer will know exactly who is using the kit, and will be able to confirm the validity period. can be used.

Although the above description has been made using a copying machine as an example, facsimiles and calculator outputs can be considered as application examples of the process kit.

In this case, a signal electrode may be provided as the latent image forming means instead of the corona discharger and the optical system, and an insulating drum may be provided instead of the photosensitive drum.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of a copying device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the process kit when a transfer material detection means is provided on the process kit side; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a measuring mechanism showing another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. The figure is an explanatory diagram when viewing the display section through the kit cover, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an electric circuit showing another example of the display section in FIG. 3, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining an example. In the figure, 26, 40, 41 are life display means, 21, 22, 24, 25, 35, 42 are usage storage means, 23a, 39a, 39b, 39c are transfer material detection means, and P is a transfer material. .

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An image bearing member, a working means disposed around the image bearing member and acting on the image bearing member, a supporting means that integrally supports the image bearing member and the working means, and an image bearing member. When installed in the main body of the forming apparatus, the transfer material is detected based on the detection results from the drive receiving means that receives the drive from the main body and the detection means that detects when the transfer material passes the transfer position of the image carrier due to the image forming operation. A process kit that is removably attached to an image forming apparatus main body, the process kit comprising: means for storing the number of times the kit passes as the usage amount of the process kit. 2. The process kit according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is provided in the process kit. 3. The process kit according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus. 4. An image bearing member, a working means disposed around the image bearing member and acting on the image bearing member, a supporting means for integrally supporting the image bearing member and the working means, when attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. , a drive receiving means that receives drive from the main body, and a detection means that detects when the transfer material passes the transfer position of the image carrier due to the image forming operation. Based on the detection results, the number of times the transfer material passes is calculated. A process kit that is removably attachable to an image forming apparatus main body, comprising: means for storing the usage amount of the kit; and display means for displaying the lifespan of the process kit in response to information from the memory means. 5. The process kit according to claim 4, wherein the detection means is provided in the process kit. 6. The process kit according to claim 4, wherein the detection means is provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus. 7. An image bearing member, a working means disposed around the image bearing member and acting on the image bearing member, a support means for integrally supporting the image bearing member and the working means, and an image forming apparatus main body. When installed, the number of times the transfer material passes is calculated based on the detection results from the drive receiving means that receives the drive from the main body and the detection means that detects when the transfer material passes the transfer position of the image carrier during the image forming operation. means for storing the process kit as the usage amount of the process kit; a receiving part for removably receiving the process kit having the following; a drive transmission means for applying a drive to the process kit side when the process kit is received; and a storage means for the process kit. an image forming apparatus comprising: a display means for displaying the lifespan of a process kit in response to transmission of the information; 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the detection means is provided in the process kit. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the detection means is provided in the image forming apparatus main body. 10: an image bearing member; a working means disposed around the image bearing member and acting on the image bearing member; a supporting means for integrally supporting the image bearing member and the working means; when attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus; , a drive receiving means that receives drive from the main body, and a detection means that detects when the transfer material passes the transfer position of the image carrier due to the image forming operation. Based on the detection results, the number of times the transfer material passes is calculated. means for storing the usage amount of the process kit; display means for displaying the lifespan of the process kit in response to information from the memory means; a receiving part for removably receiving the process kit; An image forming apparatus comprising: a drive transmission means for applying a drive to the kit side. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the detection means is provided in the process kit. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the detection means is provided in the image forming apparatus main body.